Bluehost and DreamHost are two of the biggest players in web hosting. At a high level, there’s not a lot that distinguishes one from the other. However, there are a few small details that set them apart.
Bluehost’s strengths are its beginner-friendly features, overall ease of use, and fast customer support. DreamHost, on the other hand, offers a great balance of server performance, dedication to security and privacy, and wallet-friendly scalability.
Between the two, the difference really is in the details. Either one can be a great choice for your website. But, as you dig deeper, each has nuances to consider.
Bluehost and DreamHost Compared to the Best Web Hosting Options
Bluehost and DreamHost are just two of many web hosts out there. To see how they stack up against the rest, we put dozens of affordable web hosting options to the test, analyzing them for speed, uptime, customer support, ease of use, and more.
Below is an overview of our findings. However, you can check out our best web hosting guide if you want to learn more about our research process and see the results in more detail.
Hostinger is our favorite hosting provider. Its entry-level shared plan is built for a single site, but upgrading to Premium or Business gets you room for up to 25 to 50 websites, 25 GB to 50 GB of storage, a free domain name on annual terms, and unmetered bandwidth—still far more value than most hosts at the same price point.
Bluehost offers the easiest route to a new WordPress website with its helpful step-by-step instructions, free themes, and powerful drag-and-drop website builder. HostGator is a well-rounded option for ecommerce stores and websites that expect to scale quickly. DreamHost rounds out our top five because of its affordable short-term pricing, 97-day money back guarantee on new shared hosting plans, and focus on security and privacy out of the box.
As you can see, Hostinger is our favorite web hosting provider. But both Bluehost and DreamHost offer great features, usability, and scalability for different hosting needs, as well.
Overview of Bluehost vs. DreamHost: A High-Level Perspective
If you’re looking for an easy way to get started with WordPress, Bluehost is the front-runner.
After testing its website builder, we found it to be more flexible and customizable than the builders provided by other hosts. Despite that depth of capability, it’s incredibly easy to use.
Anyone can create a website that looks and functions just the way they want to.
On the other hand, if a streamlined, secure, and easily scalable experience is what you’re after, DreamHost is the better choice. Their hosting plans are straightforward, with three easy-to-grasp options for shared hosting, so there’s no need to debate which plan is right for you.
Whether you need shared hosting, a developer-friendly virtual private server (VPS), or fully managed WordPress (DreamPress), DreamHost focuses on security and keeping things simple. Its newer AI-assisted site setup options also shorten the time from signup to live site.
Plus, you’ll enjoy fewer upsells and ads, easier cancellations, and more affordable scaling as you grow.
A Look at Bluehost and DreamHost’s Similarities
For the most part, they really aren’t all that different. While there are specifics about each one that are better for different situations, either one will help you get your website running.
So, before we start diving into what makes them different, let’s start with what they both do equally well.
Easy WordPress installation: Regardless of which one you choose, you’ll be able to install WordPress onto your site in just a few clicks. Depending on the plan you choose, it might even be pre-installed for you.
Free domains on certain plans: Both providers include a free domain name for your site with many annual (or longer) hosting plans. You’ll get the first year of that domain registration included, then pay for renewal after that.
Expensive domain renewals: On the flip side, domain renewal rates are typically more expensive than dedicated domain registrars, especially for .com renewals and paid add-ons like privacy at some hosts.
Standard website performance: We tested every type of web hosting from both providers. We won’t go into all the details here, but neither host stood out in a good or bad way in terms of website speed and uptime.
High renewal rates: Bluehost is definitely the worst offender of this, but both providers (and, really, all web hosts to some extent) jack up the price after your introductory contract period expires.
WordPress.org recommendations update: Bluehost currently appears on the official WordPress.org recommended hosting page (alongside a small handful of other hosts). DreamHost still meets WordPress’ technical requirements and continues to offer strong WordPress-specific plans, but it isn’t on that public shortlist right now.
Scalable hosting options: Both Bluehost and DreamHost give you plenty of room to grow without having to change hosting providers down the road. Most beginners can start with a shared hosting solution and then upgrade to a higher plan tier or move to a different type of hosting by the same provider. In addition to shared hosting plans, you’ll find options for VPS hosting and dedicated servers from both providers. Bluehost also offers a managed WordPress cloud line; DreamHost offers developer-friendly cloud servers (DreamCompute) and object storage.
24/7 support: Bluehost and DreamHost both have support teams on standby 24/7/365. So if you have a question on the weekend or in the middle of the night, you’ll be able to reach out for help. We found Bluehost’s support to be a bit faster—DreamHost handles most issues through live chat and tickets, with phone callbacks available as an add-on, so real-time responses can take longer than Bluehost’s.
Risk-free sign-up: As high-quality hosting services, both Bluehost and DreamHost stand behind their offerings with a money-back guarantee. So if you’re unhappy or the service falls short of expectations, you can cancel and get your money back. Bluehost offers a 30-day window for hosting refunds. DreamHost’s guarantee extends to 97 days on new shared hosting plans (different terms apply to VPS, dedicated, DreamPress, and cloud services). It’s worth noting that both these policies apply to hosting services, and you can’t be refunded for a domain name you’ve purchased.
Where Bluehost Shines
User-friendliness: Even if you have no experience with building websites and setting up their hosting, Bluehost provides an array of features that make it easy. All shared plans come with a one-click WordPress installer and its WordPress hosting plans come with it preinstalled. On top of that, all plans feature a step-by-step walkthrough of the backend and interface after you sign up. If you know what you’re doing, you can skip the wizard, too. Check out our Bluehost review to learn more about the full sign up process.
WordPress builder: Compared to DreamHost, Bluehost’s WordPress site builder is far more customizable and flexible. They’re both easy to use, but you can take your designs a lot further with Bluehost, even if you’ve never built a site or touched a line of code. There are also dozens of free WordPress themes to choose from to help you get started as fast as possible. Change the colors, images, fonts, buttons, and content to make your site look however you want.
cPanel + Bluehost Maestro: Bluehost has built a custom version of cPanel, which is the most popular hosting and backend control panel for websites. The good news is that once you know how to use it, you’ll be able to build and manage websites with any other web host that uses it, too. If you want to manage multiple sites with Bluehost, their Maestro site manager is a unique dashboard that makes it easier than ever to stay on top of plugin and core updates, backups, site vitals, and access to each site. DreamHost comes with an entirely different control panel that’s unique to them. It takes some getting used to, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But it’s one more thing to figure out.
Bonus features: All of Bluehost’s shared and WordPress hosting plans come with a few features that DreamHost doesn’t offer. One of them is simplified CDN setup (often via Cloudflare), which helps speed up your website’s load times. To be perfectly honest: you can get this for free and use it with DreamHost, but Bluehost does the heavy lifting and sets it up for you. Bluehost also comes with free WordPress themes that blow DreamHost’s out of the water. And if you want a branded inbox, Bluehost typically includes a short free trial of Professional Email with hosting—after that, email is a paid add-on.
Fast customer support: Over several months, our researchers spoke to Bluehost customer support to ask a wide range of questions. The goal? See how long it took to get an answer and evaluate the quality of their responses. While Bluehost’s support is average overall, they’re incredibly fast. We never had to wait more than a few minutes to talk to someone, even when we called over the phone. With DreamHost, we had to wait longer on average.
Affordable WooCommerce hosting: Both providers offer WooCommerce-oriented hosting packages, but Bluehost’s usually has lower introductory pricing and more “done for you” ecommerce tooling bundled in. DreamHost’s specialized WooCommerce/DreamPress plans typically start higher, and while they’re excellent for performance, they don’t include the same breadth of bundled ecommerce add-ons Bluehost packages into its WooCommerce plans.
You just don’t get these same features and benefits with DreamHost.
AI-powered websites in less than five minutes: One of Bluehost’s newer features is an AI site builder. All you have to do is answer a few questions and artificial intelligence will build the entire thing for you. From there, all that’s left is customizing it to match your needs (rather than starting from scratch).
Bluehost WonderSuite: We love that Bluehost is constantly innovating and improving its offerings. Recently, Bluehost launched WonderSuite—a suite of different tools that simplify the way you build and customize your website. It includes features like WonderCart, a way to add special promotions to your ecommerce checkout page, and WonderBlocks, an easier way to customize WordPress designs with a block editor.
Best of all, WonderSuite is included with Bluehost’s WordPress-focused plans and onboarding flow. Bluehost already had a strong site builder and webmaster tools, but WonderSuite makes it easier to get a solid site live quickly—without needing technical knowledge or starting from a blank screen.
Where Bluehost Falls Short
Extra costs and upsells: Bluehost has many great features, but they’re pretty in-your-face about getting you to pay for some of them. During checkout, you’ll see a ton of upsells for things you probably don’t need, some of which are prechecked and easy to overlook. Even if you’re happy with what you have, they’ll keep trying to get you to upgrade via regular emails and notifications—which is particularly frustrating because you often won’t need to. Be careful at checkout, as you might end up wasting money when your website funds would be better spent elsewhere.
Domain privacy fees: If you want to mask your personal information (like the address and phone number you use at checkout) from online domain name databases, you’ll typically have to pay an extra fee through Bluehost. DreamHost, by comparison, includes domain privacy protection for eligible domains at no extra charge.
Lack of server transparency: A lot of people have tried to figure out where Bluehost’s servers are located, but the company doesn’t clearly disclose this information on their marketing pages. That’s not a deal-breaker on its own, necessarily, but it’s notable compared to how open some other hosting providers are about their infrastructure and where they’ve set up data centers.
Too many plans: Bluehost has an overwhelming number of plans and types of web hosting available, all offering pretty similar features and price points. From WordPress, shared, and WooCommerce hosting to the packages for websites and online stores, there are multiple types of introductory plans for new websites. Pro tip: Bluehost’s shared hosting and WordPress hosting tend to be very similar at the base level, with WordPress-branded tiers bundling extra tools and onboarding.
Difficult cancellation: If you want to cancel your Bluehost account and take advantage of the money-back guarantee, you still need to contact support (by chat or phone) to process the refund. You can turn off auto-renewals yourself, but there’s still no single “cancel and refund” button in the dashboard.
Cloud & managed WordPress nuances: Bluehost’s higher-performance managed WordPress cloud line is powerful but often sales-assisted, so plan details and pricing can be less straightforward than standard shared/VPS pages. If you prefer published, à-la-carte cloud pricing or pay-as-you-go resources, DreamHost’s developer-oriented DreamCompute is the more flexible (albeit more technical) alternative.
Managed WordPress is available: Bluehost offers managed WordPress options (including its cloud line). If you specifically need a fully managed WordPress stack with staging, advanced security, and prioritized support, compare those packages to DreamHost’s DreamPress before deciding.
Where DreamHost Shines
Affordable short-term pricing: DreamHost still beats Bluehost if you want to pay month-to-month, and its one-year introductory rates on the Launch plan often start lower than Bluehost’s comparable starter tier. On top of that, you won’t experience the “too many plans” overwhelm that you would with Bluehost because there are only three shared tiers to choose from—Launch, Growth, and Scale. It’s easy to see how much the plan costs for different contract lengths, what the renewal rate will be, and which plan is right for you. Check out our full DreamHost review to learn more about DreamHost’s plans and pricing.
No-frills hosting: If you want a straightforward and streamlined hosting experience, DreamHost is definitely the way to go. Whether you’re a developer or you’ve never built a site before, everything feels simple and fluff-free. The interface is clean and minimal, making it easy to find everything you need even if you’ve never used their custom control panel before. Plus, DreamHost is an independent, privately owned company, so it isn’t part of a giant “roll-up” hosting conglomerate.
Free WHOIS protection: DreamHost includes domain privacy protection for free with eligible domains. Rather than having to pay extra to keep your private information private, it’s included at no extra charge. This also lines up with their broader security and privacy focus—since Bluehost commonly charges for the same feature, it’s worth highlighting separately.
Security: Every plan comes with multi-factor authentication, free SSL, secure file transfers, secure shell access, and a firewall layer at the platform level. Shared hosting also includes daily automated backups. There’s also a malware removal add-on if you want extra cleanup and monitoring.
Money-back guarantee: DreamHost offers an industry-leading money back guarantee of 97 days for new shared hosting plans. No other providers, including Bluehost, offer this much time to decide if it’s the right fit. On top of that, you can get a refund for yearly plan renewals within 30 days so you aren’t stuck in another year-long contract if you don’t want to be.
Easy cancellation: In a similar vein, DreamHost is more conscientious of the needs of any users who decide to take advantage of that money-back guarantee or just end up unsatisfied. With DreamHost, you can cancel your account any time directly within your control panel. It’s incredibly easy and straightforward, unlike Bluehost’s drawn out cancellation and refund process.
Affordable VPS hosting: Compared to Bluehost, DreamHost’s VPS plans typically start significantly lower when you lock in a longer term. When you’re ready to upgrade from shared hosting, this more affordable price point makes the move less painful on your wallet. With that said, it can come with fewer resources than Bluehost’s higher-tier VPS configurations, which helps explain some of the price gap.
Cloud hosting: If you’re a developer, hiring a developer, or want to explore more powerful web hosting with an even more affordable price tag than their VPS plans, DreamHost’s cloud hosting plans are some of the best around. You can also use them to store backups of your sites, connect to other storage apps, or build custom applications. In comparison, Bluehost doesn’t offer this type of developer-oriented, pay-as-you-go cloud; its managed WordPress cloud is a different product line.
Email hosting: If all you need is a business email address and a place to store those emails, DreamHost’s email hosting services are a good choice. You get a modern webmail experience, solid spam filtering, and the option to buy email without bundling hosting. DreamHost also includes a free trial of Professional Email with its web hosting plans (with the number of mailboxes depending on the plan), and then you can keep it as a paid add-on. Bluehost offers Professional Email as well, but it’s typically an add-on after an initial trial, and pricing scales per mailbox as your team grows.
Fully-managed WordPress hosting: DreamHost’s fully managed WordPress offering is DreamPress. That’s the line built specifically for WordPress performance, with built-in caching, automated updates, and hands-on support for WordPress-specific issues. Standard shared hosting can still be great for WordPress, but if you want a truly managed WordPress stack, DreamPress is the product to compare against Bluehost’s managed WordPress tiers.
DreamPress is also priced and provisioned differently than basic shared hosting, so it’s worth treating it like its own category rather than “shared hosting with WordPress installed.” If you’re running a serious WordPress site or WooCommerce store and want less maintenance work on your plate, DreamPress is where DreamHost starts to pull away.
Where DreamHost Falls Short
WordPress builder: While DreamHost’s current builder (including its newer AI-powered Liftoff experience) is better than its older starter-site library, Bluehost’s own is still more customizable, flexible, and modern. DreamHost has lots of starter designs and a faster way to get something live, but Bluehost has higher-quality themes and templates for WordPress.
Overall, we weren’t as impressed with DreamHost’s site builder in comparison. It’s still a good enough place to start for beginners or anyone wanting a professional website. But it should be noted that it falls short of the best website builders on the market.
Slow customer support: We spent a lot of time talking to DreamHost support throughout our research process, reaching out to them numerous times to gauge the quality and speed. Though DreamHost’s support agents are friendly and more than willing to help, response times can be slower than Bluehost—especially during peak hours—since DreamHost leans heavily on chat and ticket support.
DreamHost does offer priority customer support. However, it isn’t available until you reach the DreamPress Pro tier—the highest level for managed WordPress hosting, which starts at $71.95 per month.
No free email on the cheapest plan after the promo period: DreamHost’s email options are generally great, but it still falls short with regards to their entry-level shared hosting plan once the initial three-month mailbox promo ends. DreamHost includes a free trial of Professional Email on shared hosting plans, but continuing email is a paid add-on unless you’re on plans where email hosting is included. If you want email bundled long-term with the cheapest shared tier, that’s one of DreamHost’s biggest trade-offs.
Lack of entry-level ecommerce hosting: If you’re starting a new online store from scratch, DreamHost probably isn’t your best option for ecommerce web hosting. The entry-level shared tiers likely won’t be enough if you’re planning extensive product catalogs, large image libraries, lots of apps, and heavy traffic. Plus, you’ll usually get more ecommerce-specific “bundled extras” from Bluehost at the starter level.
DreamHost does offer WooCommerce hosting plans, but they start at $16.95 per month. This plan is typically a few dollars more than Bluehost’s cheapest ecommerce hosting plan, and it generally comes with less storage on paper. It also doesn’t come with the same breadth of ecommerce-specific add-ons and tools that Bluehost bundles into its WooCommerce tiers.
Dedicated server pricing isn’t low: DreamHost’s dedicated plans tend to start higher than budget competitors. If you’re comparing strictly on sticker price, you may find cheaper entry options elsewhere. That said, DreamHost includes SSD storage across plans and backs its network with a strong uptime guarantee, so value depends on the exact configuration you need.
While neither provider is our favorite for this highest-end form of web hosting, Bluehost and DreamHost trade places depending on term length and configuration—so it’s worth comparing current promo pricing and renewal rates before you commit.
The Final Verdict on Bluehost Compared to DreamHost
Bluehost and DreamHost are both solid options for websites of all different shapes, sizes, and purposes. They’re evenly matched when you compare them side-by-side, so the important deciding factors are buried in the details.
Beyond the basics, Bluehost and DreamHost are each strong in terms of the extras and benefits they offer. Bluehost is particularly great for anyone wanting a powerful and easy WordPress website builder with a straightforward onboarding experience—because of that, we recommend it for those just getting started with web hosting on WordPress.
On the other hand, DreamHost is the favored option when you need affordable VPS or developer-friendly cloud resources or want extra peace of mind in terms of security and privacy.
In most situations, either provider will get you to the same end goal: a new website that’s easy to build and a breeze to maintain.
Expanding Your Knowledge: Bluehost vs. DreamHost
What’s the difference between Bluehost and DreamHost?
The biggest difference between Bluehost and DreamHost is how they package pricing, plans, and add-ons. DreamHost is one of the more flexible mainstream hosts for month-to-month shared hosting, and its VPS plans are typically much cheaper than Bluehost’s. Bluehost can be very competitive on promo pricing (especially on longer terms), but it also tends to push more add-ons and bundled tiers during signup.
Beyond pricing structure, there are subtle differences in terms of plan features and resources available between the two hosts. But both options are reputable, reliable, and ultimately have more similarities than differences.
Is Bluehost faster than DreamHost?
It depends on the plan, your audience location, and the specific site you’re running. In general, both Bluehost and DreamHost deliver solid performance for shared and WordPress hosting, and the gap between them is usually small for typical small-business sites and blogs.
If you want the most reliable answer, compare performance on the exact plan you’re considering (including caching/CDN settings) and use our testing breakdown in the full review of the best web hosting services as your reference point.
Is Bluehost cheaper than DreamHost?
DreamHost is generally cheaper than Bluehost if you want to pay monthly or lock in a single year. DreamHost’s lowest shared plan currently starts around $2.89 per month for the first year and renews at $10.99 per month. Bluehost’s comparable shared plan promo pricing varies by sale and term length, and renewal rates for similar tiers often land in the same general range (with Bluehost frequently coming in a bit higher depending on the plan).
On longer terms, the gap is smaller because Bluehost often runs aggressive discounts on 36-month plans. The bigger difference usually shows up at renewal and in optional add-ons—Bluehost’s renewals and upsells tend to be more expensive than DreamHost’s for similar tiers.
Is DreamHost good for web hosting?
DreamHost is a great option for web hosting if you’re looking for a reputable and reliable hosting provider at an affordable rate. It’s one of the more flexible options for month-to-month hosting, and it offers an unusually long money-back window on new shared hosting plans.
DreamHost is also a solid web hosting choice for affordable VPS hosting. Compared side-by-side with Bluehost, DreamHost’s VPS packages are typically much cheaper—especially on longer terms.
Why is Bluehost so cheap?
Bluehost is so cheap because they provide shared web hosting services. This means that multiple websites share resources on the same server—keeping costs low for everyone.
Bluehost also offers cheap introductory rates to new customers. These plans are heavily discounted for the first term, but the price jumps upon renewal. For example, Bluehost’s cheapest plan can be discounted as low as the $2.99–$3.99 per month range during major promos, but renews at a higher rate afterward depending on the plan and term length.
Is Bluehost or DreamHost better for WordPress?
Bluehost and DreamHost are both excellent web hosting options for WordPress. Of the thousands of different web hosting providers on the market, only a handful are officially recommended by WordPress at any time, and Bluehost currently appears on that list.
Bluehost has been recommended by WordPress since 2005, giving it a slight edge on that front. DreamHost, meanwhile, continues to offer strong WordPress-specific plans with one-click installations and fully managed DreamPress tiers, even though it isn’t currently listed.
Is Bluehost or DreamHost better for ecommerce?
Bluehost is better than DreamHost for ecommerce web hosting if you want the most beginner-friendly, bundled WooCommerce experience. Bluehost provides WooCommerce hosting plans with an online store builder and prepackaged ecommerce features. It also offers plans geared toward sellers who use marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and more.
It’s packed with ecommerce-focused features, including product search and filtering, gift cards, backups, and a bundle of store enhancements. You’ll also have access to Bluehost’s 24/7 support if you need help or have any questions.
Is Bluehost or DreamHost better for beginners?
Bluehost is better than DreamHost for beginners who want the simplest “all-in-one” path to a WordPress site with guided onboarding and a strong builder experience. You can secure hosting, domain registration, and a WordPress-focused website builder under one roof without any prior website creation experience.
But DreamHost is better for beginners who prefer month-to-month pricing and fewer upsells. If you’re undecided on whether to keep your new website, DreamHost gives you more flexibility to opt out.
Should I register a domain with Bluehost or DreamHost?
You should only register a domain with Bluehost or DreamHost if you’re hosting your website through either provider. Otherwise, it’s better to register a domain with a standalone domain registrar. Check out our reviews of the best domain registrars for alternative options.
But if you’re starting a new website from scratch, you can definitely bundle your domain name with your web hosting plan from Bluehost or DreamHost. Both providers commonly include a free domain for one year when you lock in an annual (or longer) hosting plan.
Comparing the Best Web Hosting Services
DreamHost and Bluehost both show up as high-end picks in our list of the best options on the market for general web hosting. Bluehost is our second pick, behind Hostinger, and DreamHost came in at number five, but they aren’t alone as quality providers.
Want to learn more about how we test and rate web hosts? Check out our full post on the best web hosting services to see our top picks, explore all of the options available to you, and see the full results of our research for yourself.
